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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. track — a song
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. present — the time now
  7. file — a tool
  8. track — a path
  9. file — a document
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. present — a gift
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. degree — temperature
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pitch — completely
  18. present — there
  19. degree — from a university
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. degree — an amount
  23. track — to keep track
  24. cell — in biology

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com